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Eric F. T. Buiël, & Jan Lubbers. (2007). Educational agents for the training of tunnel operators. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 545–550). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The tunnel operator monitors and regulates the flow of traffic inside a tunnel, and takes actions in case an incident occurs. TNO has developed a training simulator that enables the operator to train incident situations. We are currently improving the simulator by developing intelligent agents that support a qualified operator, who trains himself, without the presence of a human instructor. This paper provides an overview of research activities in this project. In particular, it describes two types of educational agents, the authoritative instructor agent and the non-authoritative companion agent.
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Hagen Engelmann, & Frank Fiedrich. (2007). Decision support for the members of an emergency operation centre after an earthquake. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 317–326). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The first three days after an earthquake disaster demand good decisions in a very complex environment. Members of emergency operation centres (EOC) have to make decisions with limited information and under high time pressure. But the first 72 hours of disaster response activities are essential to minimize loss of life. Within the interdisciplinary German Collaborative Research Center 461: “Strong Earthquakes: A Challenge for Geosciences and Civil Engineering” a so-called Disaster Management Tool (DMT) is under development which presents some ideas for appropriate solutions to this problem. One module of the DMT will provide decision-support for the members of an EOC based on the Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) model, a description of the decision-making process of persons in real-world settings. Options for a reasonable computer-based decision support for the RPD process will be discussed. For this the system combines a simulation of the disaster environment with a multi-agent system (MAS). The simulation shows the results of different decisions so the decision-makers can evaluate them. The MAS calculates a solution for optimal resource allocation taking into account current available information. The goal of the ongoing work is to integrate these instruments into a user-friendly interface considering the real life needs of decision-makers in an EOC.
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Rianne Gouman, Masja Kempen, & Niek Wijngaards. (2010). Actor-agent team experimentation in the context of incident management. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The collaboration between humans (actors) and artificial entities (agents) can be a potential performance boost. Agents, as complementary artificial intelligent entities, can alleviate actors from certain activities, while enlarging the collective effectiveness. This paper describes our approach for experimentation with actors, agents and their interaction. This approach is based on a principled combination of existing empirical research methods and is illustrated by a small experiment which assesses the performance of a specific actor-agent team in comparison with an actor-only team in an incident management context. The REsearch and Simulation toolKit (RESK) is instrumental for controlled and repeatable experimentation. The indicative findings show that the approach is viable and forms a basis for further data collection and comparative experiments. The approach supports applied actor-agent research to show its (dis)advantages as compared to actor-only solutions.
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Ali Khalili-Araghi, Uwe Glässer, Hamed Yaghoubi Shahir, Brian Fisher, & Piper Jackson. (2012). Intelligent decision support for emergency responses. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: With a coastline touching upon the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Great Lakes and the Arctic Sea, the Canadian MSOCs are faced with a daunting task. They are responsible for both routine duties, including patrolling coastal areas and collecting satellite data, as well as critical missions, such as emergency response and crime intervention. Both kinds of mission require the fusion of data from a variety of sources and the orchestration of myriad heterogeneous resources over great physical distances. They must deal with uncertainty, both in terms of what can be known and also in the outcomes of actions, and must interact with an environment prone to dynamic change. We present the architecture and core mechanisms of a decision support system for marine safety and security operations (Glässer, Jackson, Araghi, When and Shahir, 2010). The goal of this system is to enhance complex command and control tasks by improving situational awareness and automating task assignments. This system concept includes adaptive information fusion techniques integrated with decentralized control mechanisms for dynamic resource configuration management and task execution management under uncertainty. Autonomously operating agents employ collaboration and coordination to collectively form an intelligent decision support system. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Abdullah Konak. (2014). Improving network connectivity in emergency ad hoc wireless networks. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 36–44). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Wireless Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) can to provide first responders and disaster management agencies with a reliable communication network in the event of a large-scale natural disaster that devastates majority of the existing communication infrastructure. Without requiring a fixed infrastructure, MANETs can be quickly deployed after a large-scale natural disaster or a terrorist attack. On the other hand, MANETs have dynamic topologies which could be disconnected because of the mobility of nodes. This paper presents a decentralized approach to maintain the connectivity of a MANET using autonomous, intelligent agents. Concepts from the social network analysis along with flocking algorithms are utilized to guide the deployment decision of agents. Unlike a basic flocking algorithm where all nodes have the same importance, network metrics are used to quantify the relative importance of nodes. Computational results are presented to demonstrate the effect of various local agent behaviors on the global network connectivity.
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Philippe Kruchten, Carson Woo, Kafui Monu, & Mandana Sotoodeh. (2007). A human-centered conceptual model of disasters affecting critical infrastructures. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 327–344). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Understanding the interdependencies of critical infrastructures (power, transport, communication, etc.) is essential in emergency preparedness and response in the face of disasters. Unfortunately, many factors (e.g., unwillingness to disclose or share critical data) prohibited the complete development of such an understanding. As an alternative solution, this paper presents a conceptual model-an ontology-of disasters affecting critical infrastructures. We bring humans into the loop and distinguish between the physical and social interdependencies between infrastructures, where the social layer deals with communication and coordination among representatives (either humans or intelligent agents) from the various critical infrastructures. We validated our conceptual model with people from several different critical infrastructures responsible for disasters management. We expect that this conceptual model can later be used by them as a common language to communicate, analyze, and simulate their interdependencies without having to disclose all critical and confidential data. We also derived tools from it.
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Julio Camarero Puras, & Carlos A. Iglesias. (2009). Disasters2.0. Application of Web2.0 technologies in emergency situations. In S. J. J. Landgren (Ed.), ISCRAM 2009 – 6th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Boundary Spanning Initiatives and New Perspectives. Gothenburg: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This article presents a social approach for disaster management, based on a social portal, so-called Disasters2.0, which provides facilities for integrating and sharing user generated information about disasters. The architecture of Disasters2.0 is designed following REST principles and integrates external mashups, such as Google Maps. This architecture has been consumed with different clients, including a mobile client, a multiagent system for assisting in the decentralized management of disasters, and an expert system for automatic assignment of resources to disasters. As a result, the platform allows seamless collaboration of humans and intelligent agents, and provides a novel web2.0 approach for multiagent and disaster management research.
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Adriaan Ter Mors, Xiaoyu Mao, Nicola Roos, Cees Witteveen, & Alfons H. Salden. (2007). Multi-agent system support for scheduling aircraft de-icing. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 467–478). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Results from disaster research suggest that methods for coordination between individual emergency responders and organizations should recognize the independence and autonomy of these actors. These actor features are key factors in effective adaptation and improvisation of response to emergency situations which are inherently uncertain. Autonomy and adaptability are also well-known aspects of a multi-agent system (MAS). In this paper we present two MAS strategies that can effectively handle aircraft deicing incidents. These MAS strategies help improve to prevent and reduce e.g. airplane delays at deicing stations due to changing weather conditions or incidents at the station, where aircraft agents adopting pre-made plans that would act on behalf of aircraft pilots or companies, would only create havoc. Herein each agent using its own decision mechanism deliberates about the uncertainty in the problem domain and the preferences (or priorities) of the agents. Furthermore, taking both these issues into account each proposed MAS strategy outperforms a naive first-come, first-served coordination strategy. The simulation results help pilots and companies taking decisions with respect to the scheduling of the aircraft for deicing when unexpected incidents occur: they provide insights in the impacts and means for robust selection of incident-specific strategies on e.g. deicing station delays of (individual) aircraft.
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